Unattended Railcar Motion Control System

ABSTRACT

A method and mechanism for initiating an emergency stop for an unattended railcar is disclosed. The method may include using a trip arm placed alongside the railway tracks at a designated stop point that may contact a portable trip-cock lever arm that extends out beyond the perimeter of the railcar if the railcar reaches the stop point as it moves along the track. The trip-cock lever arm may be attached to a valve that is connected to the pneumatic brake system of the unattended railcar. As the trip-cock lever arm rotates, the valve may open to release the air pressure in the pneumatic brake system causing the brakes to engage the wheels causing the railcar to stop.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 16/273,910 filed on Feb. 12, 2019, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/629,509 filed on Feb. 12, 2018. The abovereferenced applications are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This disclosure relates to a system for controlling the movement ofunattended railway cars without direct supervision.

BACKGROUND

As railcars are moved along a railyard, the railcars may be leftunattended by an operator at various times. For example, a railcar maybe unattended during loading and unloading of cargo to the railcar.While left unattended, a railcar may begin to move unexpectedly or maytravel beyond the designated loading or unloading point, which raisesthe risk of accidents from the railcar's movement or spilling of thecargo during the loading process.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This disclosure may relate to a system for controlling motion of anunattended railcar comprising a trip-cock assembly, where the trip-cockassembly includes a trip-cock lever connected to a trip-cock valveassembly. The trip-cock valve assembly may include a valve connected toa first end of a pipe and a fitting connected to a second end of thepipe, and where the trip-cock valve assembly is configured to connect toa pneumatic braking system of an unattended railcar. The trip-cock levermay be adjustable from a folded position to an extended position, suchthat when the trip-cock lever is in the extended position, the trip-cocklever extends beyond an exterior perimeter of the unattended railcar. Atrip arm may be located adjacent a railway track at a predetermined stoppoint within a railyard such that when the unattended railcar movestoward the predetermined stop point the trip-cock lever contacts thetrip arm, the trip-cock lever then opens the valve on the trip-cockvalve assembly causing air in the pneumatic braking system of theunattended railcar to be released. The trip-cock lever may be directlyattached to the valve of the trip-cock assembly, and the fittingconnects to a flexible hose, where the flexible hose includes a couplerconfigured to connect to a brake pipe of the pneumatic braking system ofthe unattended railcar. When the trip-cock assembly is in the foldedposition, the trip-cock assembly may have an overall length of less than5 feet. Additionally, the trip-cock assembly may have an overall weightof less than 50 pounds.

Other aspects of the disclosure may relate to a system for controllingmotion of an unattended railcar where the trip-cock assembly may bearranged on the unattended railcar such that the trip-cock lever is in asubstantially horizontal orientation. The pipe of the trip-cock valveassembly may have a first lug near the first end and a second lug nearthe second end, where the first lug and the second lug engage theunattended railcar to secure the trip-cock assembly to the railcar. Thefirst lug and the second lug each may have an opening extending througheach lug, where each opening has a pair of converging surfaces. In someembodiments, the trip-cock assembly may be secured to the unattendedrailcar using a magnetic connection and may be releasably attached tothe unattended railcar. Additionally, the valve of the trip-cock valveassembly may be a solenoid valve.

Still other aspects of the disclosure may relate to a method forcontrolling motion of an unattended railcar comprising: determining a notravel point along a railway track for an unattended railcar,determining a stop point to initiate braking for the unattended railcarprior to the no travel point, and installing a trip arm at the stoppoint adjacent the railway track. The method may also comprise attachinga trip-cock assembly to the unattended railcar, where the trip-cockassembly is attached to a pneumatic braking system of the unattendedrailcar, and the trip-cock assembly includes a valve connected to afirst end of a pipe and a fitting connected to a second end of the pipeopposite the first end, and a trip-cock lever having a first endconnected to the valve and a second end that is unsupported opposite thefirst end. The trip-cock lever may extend beyond an exterior perimeterof the unattended railcar. When the unattended railcar moves toward thepredetermined stop point, the trip-cock lever contacts the trip armcausing the trip-cock lever to rotate which opens the valve causing airin the pneumatic braking system of the unattended railcar to bereleased. The pipe may be secured to the unattended railcar using amechanical connection such that the trip-cock assembly is releasablyattached. In addition, the pipe may have a pair of lugs, wherein thelugs secure the trip-cock assembly to the railcar. The fitting attachedto the second end of the pipe may be connected to a flexible hose, wherethe flexible hose is configured to connect to the pneumatic brakingsystem of an unattended railcar.

Additional aspects of this disclosure may relate to a braking system fora railcar comprising: an air compressor configured to supply compressedair to the braking system, a main reservoir connected to the aircompressor, a regulating valve connected to the main compressor, asource brake pipe connected to the regulating valve, where the sourcebrake pipe is connected to a brake pipe of a railcar, and a fluidinjector arranged between the regulating valve and the source brakepipe, where the fluid injector injects a fluid into the braking system,wherein the fluid has a freezing point below −40° C. The fluid may beinjected at a pressure within a range of 90 psi and 200 psi and may alsoinclude a leak detection component. In addition, the fluid may beinjected intermittently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

To allow for a more full understanding of the present disclosure, itwill now be described by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic of an exemplary railcar motion control systemfor a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 1A depicts a schematic of the braking system of an exemplaryrailcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 depicts a left rear perspective view of a trip-cock assemblyattached to a railcar of the exemplary railcar motion control system fora railcar of FIG. 1 as disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 depicts a left perspective view of a trip arm for the exemplaryrailcar motion control system for a railcar of FIG. 1 as disclosedherein;

FIG. 4 depicts a right perspective view of the trip arm for theexemplary railcar motion control system for a railcar of FIG. 3 asdisclosed herein;

FIG. 5 depicts a top view of the trip-cock assembly in an extendedposition of the exemplary railcar motion control system for a railcar ofFIG. 2 as disclosed herein;

FIG. 6 depicts a top view of the trip-cock assembly in a folded positionof the exemplary railcar motion control system for a railcar of FIG. 2as disclosed herein;

FIG. 7A depicts a top view of a rigid pipe of the trip-cock assembly ofFIG. 5 as disclosed herein;

FIG. 7B depicts a side view of the rigid pipe of the trip-cock assemblyof FIG. 7A as disclosed herein;

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of the engagement of a coupler of thetrip-cock assembly to a braking system of the railcar as disclosedherein;

FIG. 9 depicts a left perspective view of an alternate attachment to therailcar for the trip-cock assembly attached to a railcar of theexemplary railcar motion control system of FIG. 1 as disclosed herein;

FIG. 10 depicts a right rear perspective view of the trip-cock assemblyof FIG. 9 attached to a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 11 depicts a left perspective view of the trip-cock assembly ofFIG. 9 attached to a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 12 depicts a top right perspective view of the trip-cock assemblyof FIG. 9 attached to a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 13 depicts a right side view of the trip-cock assembly of FIG. 9attached to a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 14 depicts an enlarged left side view of the attachment of thetrip-cock assembly of FIG. 9 to a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 15 depicts a method for setting up the motion control system ofFIG. 1 as disclosed herein;

FIG. 16 depicts a schematic of an alternate embodiment of the railcarmotion control system for a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 17 depicts a schematic of an alternate embodiment of the railcarmotion control system for a railcar as disclosed herein;

FIG. 18 depicts a method for setting up the motion control system ofFIGS. 16 and 17 as disclosed herein; and

FIG. 19 depicts a schematic of the braking system of an exemplaryrailcar with a fluid injector as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various example structures and methodsaccording to the invention, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way ofillustration various example devices, systems, and environments in whichaspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood thatother specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, andenvironments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.Also, while the terms “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” “rear,”and the like may be used in this specification to describe variousexample features and elements of the invention, these terms are usedherein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the exampleorientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use.The terms “substantially horizontal” and “substantially vertical” may beinterpreted within +/−15 degrees of horizontal and verticalrespectively. Nothing in this specification should be construed asrequiring a specific three-dimensional orientation of structures inorder to fall within the scope of this invention, unless explicitlyspecified by the claims. The reader is also advised that the attacheddrawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

In general, this disclosure relates to a system for controlling themotion of unattended railcars within a railyard to keep them from movingbeyond a designated point or location. Preventing the unattendedrailcars from moving beyond a designated point or location may assist inthe loading and unloading cargo and in preventing of accidents. Thesystem 100 may primarily work for slow moving unattended railcars. Theunattended railcars may be connected to a locomotive, railcar mover, andor car indexer while in the railyard, however, the operator may leavethe railcars unattended such that the operator is unable to apply thebrakes. The unattended railcars may be freight or passenger railcars, orany vehicle configured to move on railway tracks. Additionally, anunattended railcar may be any railcar or engine with or without carsthat is intended to operate on a railway track at speeds greater thanfifteen miles per hour.

FIG. 1 discloses a system 100 for controlling the motion of anunattended railcar 10 comprising a portable and transferable trip-cockassembly 110 that is easily connected and disconnected to an unattendedrailcar 10 and a trip arm 180 placed adjacent the railway track 30. Thetrip-cock assembly 110 may include a trip-cock lever 120 and a trip-cockvalve assembly 140. The trip-cock valve assembly 140 may be connected tothe pressurized pneumatic braking system 20 of a typical railcar 10. Inaddition, the trip-cock assembly 110 may be releasably mounted andsecured anywhere on the unattended railcar 10 such as to a front, acentral region, or a rear of the unattended railcar 10. The trip-cocklever 120 may connect to the valve assembly 140 and may extend beyondthe exterior perimeter of the railcar 10 when the trip-cock assembly 110is secured to the railcar 10 when the trip-cock assembly 110 is in anextended position. When the trip-cock lever 120 is in the extendedposition, the trip-cock lever 120 may contact the trip arm 180 arrangedadjacent the railway tracks 30.

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic of a typical pneumatic braking system 20of a typical railcar 10. The pneumatic braking system 20 is pressurizedto keep the wheels 34 free to turn and the brakes of the railcar 10unengaged to the wheels 34 of the railcar 10. If the air pressure drops,the brakes will engage the wheels 34 causing the railcar 10 to stop,which allows time to engage the manual hand brake of the railcar 10 orto place a manual derail device on the railway track, as appropriate forthe situation and conditions. However, if the air pressure drops to nearambient air pressure, the pneumatic brakes may disengage and becomeinoperable. The braking system 20 may comprise an air compressor 22 thatis connected to a main reservoir tank 23 to hold a portion of thecompressed air in the system 20. A regulating valve 24 may be positioneddownstream of the main reservoir tank 23 to provide a predeterminedpressure to the braking system 20. A source brake pipe 25 may beconnected to the regulating valve 24. The source brake pipe 25 mayprovide a connection point to the railcar 10 to provide the air supplyof the braking system 20 to any connected railcars 10. The aircompressor 22, reservoir 23, regulating valve 24, and source brake pipe25 may be provided on a locomotive or other mobile platform such as arailcar mover or other vehicle arranged to operate on a railway trackconnected to the railcar 10. The source brake pipe 25 may be connectedto a receiving brake pipe 26 of the railcar 10. The receiving brake pipe26 may be connected to a branch pipe 27 that provides the air to anauxiliary reservoir 28 that enables the braking components 32 to engagethe wheels 34. The receiving brake pipe 26 may also connect to an exitbrake pipe 29 located on the opposite end of the railcar 10 of thereceiving brake pipe 26. The trip-cock assembly 110 may be attached tothe exit brake pipe 29 of the braking system 20. If a group ofunattended railcars is positioned along the railway tracks, the brakingsystems 20 of each railcar 10 may be attached sequentially by couplingthe brake pipe of each railcar to the brake pipe of the adjacent railcarlinking each railcar's braking system into a single pneumatic system.Where the railcars 10 are connected as a group of railcars, the sourceair supply may be attached at a railcar 10 at one end of the group ofrailcars with the trip-cock assembly 110 attached to a railcar 10 at theopposite end of the group of railcars. In some instances, the trip-cockassembly 110 may be attached to any of the unattended railcars 10 withinthe group, such as the front railcar, the rear railcar, or any of therailcars in between the front railcar and the rear railcar where thetrip-cock assembly 110 is attached to the brake system 20 between anytwo railcars 10.

The air compressor 22 may help to maintain sufficient air pressure inthe brake system 20 to ensure there is adequate pressure in the brakingsystem (or braking systems) 20 for the trip-cock assembly 110 toinitiate an emergency stop if necessary. A typical pneumatic brakingsystem 20 may have a brake-pipe pressure within a range between 40 psiand 120 psi. As known to one skilled in the art, cold weather orinefficient seals along the railcar braking system 20 to leak aircausing the brake pressure to be too low such that a pressure drop maynot engage the brakes for a long enough period of time to stop therailcar or making the brakes inoperable. The air compressor 22 may be areciprocating or screw style compressor and in some embodiments may bean oil-free type compressor.

As discussed above, the trip arm 180 may contact the trip lever 120 toactivate the brakes on the railcar 10. The trip arm 180 may be avertically extending post that is placed or installed adjacent oralongside the railway tracks 30 at a predetermined stop point 182, where“adjacent or alongside” may, in certain instances, be less thanapproximately 7 feet from a railway track gauge line, or less thanapproximately 10 feet from a centerline of the railway track. The triparm 180 may be removed when not in use or may be secured to maintain therequired railway track clearances. The predetermined stop point 182designates a point or location on the track to initiate an emergencystop to keep the unattended railcar 10 or an unattended railcar 10positioned at either a front end, a central region, or a rear end of agroup of unattended railcars if they are linked together from passing ano travel point. When an unattended railcar 10 with the trip-cockassembly 110 attached reaches the predetermined stop point 182, the triparm 180 may contact the trip-cock lever 120. When the trip-cock lever120 contacts the trip arm 180, the force of the contact may cause thetrip-cock lever 120 to rotate. The rotation of the trip-cock lever 120opens a valve 144 on the trip-cock valve assembly 140 releasing thepressurized air within the pneumatic braking system 20 of the railcar10. As the air is released from the braking system 20 of the railcar 10,the brakes engage the wheels of the railcar 10 bringing the railcar 10to a stop.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary trip-cock assembly 110 attached to arailcar 10. The trip-cock assembly 110 may comprise a trip-cock lever120 having a first end 122 that is connected to the first end 142 of thevalve assembly 140 and an unsupported second end 124 opposite the firstend 122. The valve assembly 140 may have a valve 144 at the first end142 and a second end 146 having a coupler or fitting 148 to connect to athe brake pipe 29 of the braking system 20 of the railcar 10.Alternatively, the coupler 148 may connect to an angle cock, brake pipe,or other type of connection to the braking system 20 to maintain the airpressure as known to one skilled in the art. A rigid pipe 152 may extendfrom the valve 144 and to a pipe fitting 154 where the fitting 154 mayjoin to a flexible hose or tubing 150. The flexible hose 150 may allowthe trip-cock assembly 110 to attach to variously sized railcars and ata variety of locations on the railcar 10. As discussed above, thetrip-cock assembly 110 may be releasably attached to the railcar 10 soit may be moved from one railcar to another. In addition, the weight ofthe trip-cock assembly 110 may be less than 50 pounds, or within a rangeof 15 pounds and 40 pounds, or even within a range of 5 pounds to 50pounds, to allow the trip-cock assembly 110 to be moved and carried byone person. As another feature, the trip-cock assembly 110 may have anoverall length measured from the first end 142 of the valve assembly 140to the pipe fitting 154 of the valve assembly 140 may be less than fivefeet when the trip-cock lever 120 is in the folded position as shown inFIG. 6 to easily fit in the bed of a pickup truck and to be carried byone person. Alternatively, the overall length measured from the firstend 142 of the valve assembly 140 to the pipe fitting 154 of the valveassembly 140 may be less than six feet when the trip-cock lever 120 isfolded. As another means of describing the length, the trip-cockassembly may have a length within a range of 3 feet and 6 feet whenmeasured from the first end 142 of the valve assembly 140 to the pipefitting 154 of the valve assembly 140.

The trip-cock assembly 110 may attach to any protrusion of theunattended railcar 10 to keep the trip-cock assembly 110 in asubstantially horizontal orientation by a mechanical connection. Forexample, the trip-cock assembly 110 may be attached by gravity, by afriction fit, by being clamped onto railcar 10, or by using suction tosecure it to the railcar 10. As another option, for a railcar thatincludes portions made of iron or steel, the trip-cock assembly 110 maybe attached by a magnetic connection. In addition, the rigid pipe 152may have a pair of lugs 160 that are positioned near the ends of therigid pipe portion 152 of the trip-cock assembly 110 that attach to therailcar 10. Each lug 160 may extend outward from the rigid pipe portion152 and have an opening 162 extending through each lug 160. The openings162 of each lug 160 may be spaced to engage a ladder 12 or otherfeatures on the railcar 10. For example, the container portion of therailcar 10 may have an I-beam or T-beam protruding from it. In addition,the railcar 10 may have bars of grab-handles, protruding from thesurface of the railcar 10 that provide surfaces to attach the trip-cockassembly 110. As an option, the trip-cock assembly 110 may be clampedonto one of these features using mechanical clamps or may be clampedonto a corner or edge feature of the railcar 10. The lugs 160 may helpto secure the trip-cock assembly 110 in both a vertical and horizontalorientation on the railcar 10 and thus provide a secure platform to holdthe trip-cock lever 120 in a substantially horizontal orientation eventhrough impact with the trip arm 180. As another option, the trip-cockassembly 110 may be inserted into a socket or channel or other hollowopening of a railcar 10.

FIGS. 3 and 4 both illustrate exemplary trip arm mechanism 180 extendingupward and mounted to the ground alongside the railway tracks 30 at thepredetermined stop point 182. The trip arm mechanism 180 may comprise afixed post or other rigid structure sufficient to contact the trip-cocklever 120 without deforming such that the trip-cock lever 120 rotatessufficiently to open the valve 144. The trip arm mechanism 180 maycomprise a fixed post with a single beam or may comprise a plurality ofbeams as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary trip-cock assembly 110 comprising anextended trip-cock lever 120 having a first end 122 that is connected tothe valve assembly 140 and an unsupported second end 124 opposite thefirst end 122. The valve assembly 140 may comprise a first end 142having a valve 144 and a second end 146 having a coupler or fitting 148to connect to a standard railcar brake pipe. In some embodiments, thevalve 144 may be a standard cock valve as known to one skilled in theart. In other embodiments, the valve 144 may be a solenoid valve that iselectromechanically controlled to release air from the pneumatic brakingsystem 20 of the unattended railcar 10 in a controlled or predeterminedmanner. In addition to the solenoid valve, the trip-cock assembly 110may have a pressure sensor to determine the pressure within the railcarbraking system 20. For example, when the trip-lever 120 contacts thetrip arm, the trip-lever rotation may send a signal to open the solenoidvalve to release air from the brake system 20. The solenoid valve may beprogrammed to release the air from the pneumatic braking system 20slowly such that the brakes are applied gradually and can be applied foran extended amount of time. The solenoid valve may be programmed to dropthe pressure in the braking system 20 by approximately 20 psi or withina range of 10 to 30 psi, which would cause the brakes to engage thewheels initiating the railcar 10 to a controlled stop. After thepressure drop is sensed by the pressure sensor, the solenoid valve mayclose, thereby keeping the brakes engaged and not allowing the pressureto drop near ambient pressure where the brakes may release. Releasingthe air slowly in a controlled manner can be useful because in somerailcar braking systems, the brakes are inoperable when all of the airis released from the system. By releasing the air in a controlledmanner, the brakes can be applied for a longer amount of time, which canbe useful if the railcar is traveling at a speed greater than fifteenmiles per hour, or if the railyard has a slope or grade making thedistance longer to stop the railcar 10. Additionally, applying thebrakes in a more controlled manner may reduce wear on the wheels andcomponents 32 of the braking system 20. To operate the solenoid valve, apower source such as a battery may be included on the trip-cock assembly110.

A flexible hose or tubing 150 may connect the fitting 148 to a rigidpipe 152 through a pipe fitting 154, such as an elbow pipe connector, orother connection means. FIG. 6 illustrates the trip-cock assembly 110 ina position with the trip-cock lever 120 in a folded position, where thetrip-cock lever is positioned above the rigid pipe 152 to reduce thelength of the trip-cock assembly 110, which enables an operator toeasily carry and install the trip-cock assembly 110 onto a railcar 10.While the exemplary valve assembly 140 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 shows twodifferent diameters for the flexible tubing 150, the tubing 150 may be asingle diameter and formed of a single piece.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate the rigid pipe portion 152 of the trip-cockassembly 110. The pipe 152 has a plurality of lugs 160, where each lug160 has an opening 162 with a pair of converging surfaces 164, 166 thatconnect to inner surface 168. The outer portion of the opening 162 mayhave a greater width than the width of the inner portion of the opening162. For example, the outer portion of the opening 162 may have a widthof approximately 0.50 inches, or within a range of 0.375 inches and0.625 inches, and the inner portion of the opening 162 may have a widthof approximately 0.375 inches, or within a range of 0.25 inches and 0.50inches. For example, the inner surfaces 168 of the pair of lugs 160 mayhave a distance L between them, where the distance L may beapproximately 15.75 inches, or within 15.5 inches and 16 inches. Becauseof the various makes and models of railcars as well as to addressmanufacturing tolerances, the dimensions of the mounting features forthe trip-cock assembly 110 may be adjusted to ensure the proper fit andthat the trip-cock assembly 110 is properly secured to the unattendedrailcar 10. The lugs 160 and their corresponding openings 162 may helpto locate the trip-cock assembly 110 on the railcar 10 such that thetrip-cock lever 120 extends beyond the exterior perimeter of the railcar10. Optionally, the lugs 160 may help to ensure that the valve 144 ispositioned beyond the exterior perimeter of the railcar 10 as well. Therigid pipe 152 may have a nominal inside diameter of approximately 1.25inches, or within a range of 1.00 and 1.50 inches, or 1.00 inches and2.00 inches. In addition, pipe 152 may be formed from schedule 80 pipe.FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary connection of the coupler 148 of thetrip-cock assembly 110 to the railcar brake system 20.

The lugs 160 may be permanently or releasably attached to the rigid pipe152. For example, if the lugs 160 are permanently attached to the rigidpipe 152, the lugs 160 may be welded, brazed, bonded, or other permanentmeans in which the lugs 160 are not easily removed. As an alternateoption, the lugs 160 may be releasably connected to the rigid pipe 152.For instance, the lugs 160 may be attached by a mechanical connectorsuch as a threaded connection such that the lugs 160 may be removed andrepositioned to change the distance between the lugs 160. By adjustingthe position of the lugs 160 along the length of the pipe 152, thetrip-cock assembly 140 may be adjusted in the field to mount on avariety of locations of the railcar 10. As another option, the lugs 160may be rotated to adjust the orientation of the openings 162 to provideadditional mounting options. As an example, the openings 162 may beoriented where the openings 162 face each other, where the openings 162are oriented away from each other, or where the openings 162 areoriented in the same direction.

In some embodiments, the trip-cock assembly 110 may be configured toadapt to a pneumatic railcar braking system 20 where the braking system20 comprises a multi-pipe braking system, which may have a separatecontrol line from the main pressurized line. The multi-pipe brakingsystem may comprise two pipes, where a first pipe may comprise the mainpressurized line with the air required to apply the brakes and thesecond pipe, or control line that may be pressurized with the airrequired to control the application of the brakes. In the two-pipesystem, the trip-cock assembly 110 may be connected to the first pipe ofthe brake system 20 as described above such that when the trip lever 120contacts the trip arm 180 to activate the valve 144 to release the airfrom the braking system 20, the air is released from the second pipecausing the air pressure to drop and activate the brakes on the railcar10. Alternatively, the trip-cock assembly 110 may be attached to orinserted into the second pipe to control the application of the brakesdepending on the set-up of the multi-pipe braking system. In othertwo-pipe braking systems, the first pipe may be pressurized with the airrequired to apply the brakes and the second pipe may provide anelectrical signal to control a valve on the railcar to apply the brakes.In this type of system, when the trip lever 120 contacts the trip arm180, the trip-cock assembly 110 may provide an electrical signal to acontrol valve on the railcar 10 to release the air pressure and activatethe brakes. This two-pipe system may provide greater positive control ofthe braking of the railcars, because the control of the air pressure isseparated from the air pressure for applying the brakes.

For the embodiment of the trip-cock assembly 210 shown in FIGS. 9-14,the features are referred to using similar reference numerals under the“2xx” series of reference numerals, rather than “1xx” as used in theembodiment of FIGS. 1-8. Accordingly, certain features of the trip-cockassembly 210 that were already described above with respect to trip-cockassembly 110 of FIGS. 1-8 may be described in lesser detail, or may notbe described at all. Trip-cock assembly 210 may comprise a trip-cocklever 220 connected to a valve assembly 240. The valve assembly 240 mayhave a valve 244 at a first end 242 and a coupler 248 at a second end246 that connects to the railcar brake system 20. The trip-cock assembly210 may attach to the railcar 10 by a plurality of hooks elements 270that connect to the rigid pipe 252 of the valve assembly 240. Each hook270 may extend from an upper or side portion of the rigid pipe 252,where each hook 270 is positioned along the length of the rigid pipe252. In addition, each hook 270 may have an opening 272 that opensdownward to engage a protrusion or other feature of the railcar 10 asdescribed above. The hooks 270 may support the trip-cock assembly 210 tokeep the trip-cock lever 220 substantially horizontal. The plurality ofhooks 270 may be evenly spaced or unevenly spaced along the length ofthe rigid pipe 252.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary method 300 of using the railcar motioncontrol systems 100, 200. First, a user may determine a no travel pointthat an unattended railcar 10 needs to be secured along the railwaytrack 30 and an associated stop point 182 to initiate stopping orbraking such that the unattended railcar 10 will stop prior to the notravel point (310). Next, the trip arm 180 may be placed or installed atthe stop point 182 alongside the railway track (320). The trip-cockassembly 110 may then be attached to the unattended railcar 10 (330)with the trip-cock lever 120 extended to close the valve 144 (340). Thevalve assembly 140 may next be connected to the brake pipe of theunattended railcar 10 (350). Lastly, if during movement of unattendedrailcar 10, the railcar reaches the stop point 182, an emergency stopmay be initiated by the trip arm 180 contacting the trip-cock lever 120(360).

FIG. 16 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the railcar motioncontrol system 400. Unlike the systems described in embodiments ofsystems 100 and 200, a monitoring system 410 may be placed near therailway tracks at a predetermined stop point or may be positioned in acontrol tower or other remote location to observe the railway tracks atthe predetermined stop point. The monitoring system 410 may be one of aplurality of monitoring systems or combination of the plurality ofmonitoring systems, such as a visual monitoring system, a radar-basedmonitoring system, a pressure or weight-based monitoring system, a radiofrequency localization monitoring system, a laser-based system, a globalpositioning system (GPS) tracking system, an optical sensor-basedsystem, or other systems known to one skilled in the art to detect andobserve the movement of the unattended railcar 10. The plurality ofexemplary monitoring systems are discussed in more detail below. Thepredetermined stop point may designate the location on the track toinitiate an emergency stop to keep the unattended railcar 10 or anunattended railcar 10 positioned at either a front end, a centralregion, or a rear end of a group of unattended railcars if they arelinked together from passing a no travel point. The monitoring system410 may include or be connected to a processor 412 that may operate inconjunction with a predetermined identification marker 430 on theunattended railcar 10 to determine when the unattended railcar 10 ismoving or has reached the predetermined stop point. The identificationmarker 430 may be placed anywhere on the unattended railcar 10 such asto a front, a central region, or a rear of the unattended railcar 10.When a group of unattended railcars is being moved along the railwaytracks, the predetermined identification marker 430 may be attached toany of the unattended railcars 10 within the group, such as the frontrailcar, the rear railcar, or any of the railcars in between the frontrailcar and the rear railcar. The railcar motion control system 400 mayalso comprise an electromechanical system 420 comprising a valveassembly 422, which may include a solenoid valve, an antenna 424, and/oran actuator 426 that is connected to the pneumatic brake system 20 ofthe unattended railcar 10. The valve assembly 422 may be connected tothe brake pipe of the pneumatic braking system 20. The electromechanicalsystem 420 may keep the pneumatic braking system 20 pressurized to allowthe unattended railcar 10 to be able to be moved. When an unattendedrailcar 10 having the predetermined identification marker 430 reachesthe predetermined stop point, the processor 412 of the monitoring system410 may send a wireless signal through the antenna 414 to acorresponding antenna 424 of the electromechanical system 420. Uponreceiving the emergency stop signal from the processor 412, the solenoidvalve, the actuator 426, or similar device may open the valve assembly422 to release the pressurized air within the pneumatic braking system20 of the railcar 10. The solenoid valve may act as described above torelease the air from the braking system 20 in a controlled orpredetermined manner. Thus, the release of the pressurized air may causethe brakes to engage bringing the unattended railcar 10 to a stop.

As discussed above, one option for the monitoring system 410 may be avisual monitoring system. The visual monitoring system may comprise avideo camera system or other video monitoring device that may bepositioned alongside the railway tracks at a predetermined stop point ormay be positioned in a control tower or other remote location, such as asatellite or other location with a view of the railway tracks at thepredetermined stop point. For example, the visual monitoring system maybe placed up to a half mile away from the predetermined stop point, upto two miles away from the predetermined stop point, up to four milesaway from the predetermined stop point, or even up to eight miles awayfrom the predetermined stop point. In some embodiments, the videomonitoring device may be positioned on a drone flying above therailyard. The video camera system may be connected to the processor 412that may have visual recognition capability such as to recognize thepredetermined identification marker 430 on the unattended railcar 10. Inaddition, the video camera system may comprise a single video camera ora plurality of video cameras. Furthermore, the video camera system mayoperate in the visual spectrum and may also operate in the infraredspectrum or have other low lighting capability. For the visualmonitoring system, the predetermined identification marker 430 may be apainted number on the unattended railcar 10 or a releasable tag that canbe attached to the railcar 10. When an unattended railcar 10 having thepredetermined identification marker 430 reaches the predetermined stoppoint, the processor 412 of the visual monitoring system will recognizethe predetermined identification marker 430 in an image captured by thevideo camera causing the processor 412 of the video monitoring system410 to send a wireless signal through the antenna 414 to initiate anemergency stop of the unattended railcar 10.

Another option for the monitoring system 410 may be a radar-basedsystem. For example, a pulse radar system, or a pulse-Doppler radarsystem, or a Continuous-Wave (CW) radar system using Doppler, or aphased array radar system may be positioned to observe the predeterminedstop point and to detect and track the motion of the unattendedrailcars. As the radar-based monitoring system recognizes that anunattended railcar 10 reaches the predetermined stop point, theprocessor 412 of the radar-based monitoring system 410 will send awireless signal through the antenna 414 to initiate an emergency stop ofthe unattended railcar 10.

Another option for the monitoring system 410 may be a pressure orweight-based monitoring system. For instance, a weight-based monitoringsystem may include a load cell or pressure sensitive device mounted onor near the railway tracks 30 at the predetermined stop point. When theunattended railcar 10 reaches the load cell, the processor may detectthe increased force on the load cell and send a wireless signal throughthe antenna 414 to initiate an emergency stop of the unattended railcar10.

Yet another option for the monitoring system 410 may be a radiofrequency localization system. Here, the radio frequency localizationsystem may include a plurality of antennas located in multiple locationsto receive a radio frequency signal from the predeterminedidentification marker 430, which is this system may be a radio frequencybeacon that transmits a signal that is monitored by a plurality ofantennas or cellular towers. The plurality of antennas may be connectedto a processor 412, which uses the signal to determine the position ofthe unattended railcar 10 on the tracks using multilateration as knownto one skilled in the art. When the unattended railcar 10 reaches thepredetermined stop point, the processor will send a wireless signalthrough the antenna 416 to initiate an emergency stop of the unattendedrailcar 10. Another option of a radio frequency localization system mayuse a radio frequency identification device (RFID). The predeterminedidentification marker 430 may be RFID tag such that when theidentification marker 430 passes near an RFID reader placed near or onthe railway tracks, the processor 412 will send a wireless signalthrough the antenna 414 to initiate an emergency stop of the unattendedrailcar 10.

Still another option for the monitoring system 410 may use a globalpositioning device. Here, the predetermined marker 430 may be a globalpositioning system (GPS) device that is secured to the unattendedrailcar 10. The monitoring system 410 may then track the movement ofunattended railcar with the GPS device by monitoring the signal from theGPS device. When an unattended railcar 10 is moved along the tracks 30,the processor 412 examines the signal being received from GPS device anddetermines the position of the unattended railcar 10 on the tracks. Whenthe unattended railcar 10 reaches the predetermined stop point, theprocessor will send a wireless signal through the antenna 414 toinitiate an emergency stop of the unattended railcar 10.

In addition, another option for the monitoring system 410 may use alaser-based system. For example, laser-based system, such as a LIDARtype system that may be positioned to observe the predetermined stoppoint and to detect and track the motion of the unattended railcars. Asthe laser-based monitoring system recognizes that an unattended railcar10 reaches the predetermined stop point, the processor 412 of thelaser-based monitoring system 410 will send a wireless signal throughthe antenna 414 to initiate an emergency stop of the unattended railcar10.

As still, another option for the monitoring system 410 may use anoptical sensor-based system. For example, an optical circuit such as aset of light gates may be positioned alongside the railway tracks, suchthat an emitter is positioned at a first position and a receiver ispositioned at a second position on the opposite side of the railwaytracks or between the two railway tracks. When an unattended railcar 10reaches the predetermined stop point, the optical circuit of the lightgates may be interrupted. Upon detecting this interruption, theprocessor 412 of the optical sensor-based monitoring system 410 willsend a wireless signal through the antenna 414 to initiate an emergencystop of the unattended railcar 10.

The processor 412 may be utilized to process data received from themonitoring system 410. The processor 412 may be a general-purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor maybe a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implementedas a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP anda microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. The one or more implementations described throughout thisdisclosure may utilize logical blocks, modules, and circuits that may beimplemented or performed with a processor.

The processor 412 may be used to implement various aspects and featuresdescribed herein. As such, the processor 412 may be configured toperform any desired operation on one or more data streams received fromthe monitoring system 410. Further, it will be appreciated that theprocessor 412 may execute multiple calculations, in parallel or serial,at a very high throughput frequency using the received data from themonitoring system 410 to determine the movement of the unattendedrailcar 10. As such, the processor 412 may be configured to executehundreds of thousands, millions, or billions or more calculations persecond. The processor 412 may include a processing unit and systemmemory to store and execute software instructions.

FIG. 17 illustrates another alternate embodiment of the railcar motioncontrol system 500. Similar to the railcar motion control system 400, amonitoring system 410 may be placed alongside the railway tracks at apredetermined stop point or may be positioned in a control tower orother remote location to observe the railway tracks at the predeterminedstop point. The monitoring system 410 may be a variety of monitoringsystems or combination of monitoring systems as described above. Thepredetermined stop point may designate the location on the track toinitiate an emergency stop to keep the unattended railcar 10 or anunattended railcar 10 positioned at either a front end, a centralregion, or a rear end of a group of unattended railcars if they arelinked together from passing a no travel point. As discussed above, theunattended railcars 10 may be moved along the railyard by a railcarmover 15. The system 500 may communicate wirelessly to the controlsystem 17 of the railcar mover 15. When an unattended railcar 10 havingthe predetermined identification marker 430, depending upon the type ofmonitoring system 410, reaches the predetermined stop point, theprocessor 412 of the monitoring system 410 may send a wireless signalthrough the antenna 414 to the control system 17 of the railcar mover15. Upon receiving the emergency stop signal from the processor 412, therailcar mover 15 applies the brakes to the wheels. Thus, causing anemergency stop of the unattended railcar 10. As an alternative option,upon the processor 412 of the monitoring system 410 recognizing anunattended railcar 10 travelling to or beyond the predetermined stoppoint, the processor 412 may send an emergency stop signal to anoperator of the railcar mover 15. The operator may apply the brakeseither remotely or manually to cause an emergency stop of the unattendedrailcar 10.

FIG. 18 illustrates the exemplary method 600 of using the railcar motioncontrol systems 400, 500. First, a user may determine a no travel pointthat an unattended railcar 10 needs to be secured along the railwaytrack 30 and an associated stop point to initiate stopping or brakingsuch that the unattended railcar 10 will stop prior to the no travelpoint (610). Next, the monitoring system 410 may be placed at thepredetermined stop point alongside the railway tracks, or may bepositioned in a control tower or other remote location to observe therailway tracks at the predetermined stop point (620). The predeterminedidentification marker 430 may be attached to the unattended railcar 10(630). The monitoring system 410 may determine the location of theunattended railcar 10 along the tracks 30 (640). Then, the processor 412may compare the location of the unattended railcar 10 to the location ofthe predetermined stop point (650). Lastly, when during movement ofunattended railcar 10, the railcar reaches the predetermined stop point;the processor 412 may send a signal via the antenna 414 to initiate anemergency stop of the unattended railcar 10 or group of unattendedrailcars by the any of the methods described herein or known to thoseskilled in the art (660).

As another option to improve safety of railcar loading is illustrated inFIG. 19 is shown in the braking system 700 for a railcar 10. Brakingsystem 700 may include a fluid injector 710 configured to inject a fluidas a fine mist within the pneumatic braking system 20 of the railcar 10.The fluid may include anti-freezing and/or anti-leak type properties.Braking system 700 includes an air compressor 702 that is connected to amain reservoir tank 704 to hold a portion of the compressed air. Aregulating valve 706 may be positioned downstream of the reservoir tankto provide a predetermined pressure to the braking system 20. A sourcebrake pipe 708 may be connected to the regulating valve 706. The fluidinjector 710 may be arranged between the regulating valve 706 and thesource brake pipe 708, wherein the fluid injector 710 injects the fluidinto the braking system. The fluid injector 710 may comprise a pump thatmay include a metering device to meter the volume flow (mass flow) offluid into the brake system 700. The system 700 may also include a valveto prevent flow of air into the injector 710, when the injector 710 ispaused or stopped. The valve may be a one-way valve, a check-valve, or aback-pressure valve. The injector may be a constant volume pump thatwill can provide any necessary pressure to overcome the air pressure. Asanother option, the pump may be a metering type chemical injection pumpthat is adjusted to give a set flow rate for given set of conditionsincluding properties of the injected fluid, brake system condition, andair supply temperature, and air supply pressure, and may include ambientair temperature.

The source brake pipe 708 may provide a connection point to the railcar10 to provide the air supply of the braking system of the railcar 10.The air compressor 702, reservoir 704, regulating valve 706, and sourcebrake pipe 708 may be similar to the components of the typical brakesystem 20 as described above and may be provided on a locomotive orother mobile platform such as a railcar mover or other vehicle arrangedto operate on a railway track connected to the railcar 10. The sourcebrake pipe 708 may be connected to a receiving brake pipe 26 of therailcar 10. In a typical braking system 20, the air compressor 22 pumpsair into the braking system 20, the air exiting the compressor 22 may gothrough a dryer to remove the moisture, but even after exiting thedryer, the air may still include some amount of water vapor. This watervapor may condense, or in cooler conditions, freeze within the pneumaticbraking system 20 causing the valves or other components within therailcar's braking system to corrode or malfunction. Air compressors,even oil-free compressors, use oil to lubricate the mechanical partssuch as bearings. The compressor oil may mix with the air and enter thedryer or brake-system 20. If an air, oil, and water mixture enters avalve in the brake system 20, and the air pressure may be reduced, andthen the water in the oil may solidify or freeze that may cause thebrakes to malfunction, when operating in below freezing temperatures.While some air leakage is present around the seals due to microscopic orsmall gaps around the seals, in below freezing temperatures, thestiffness of synthetic elastomers used in the seals and components ofthe braking system 20 may increase, which may cause the gaps around andin the seals to increase air leakage within the braking system 20 torise over an acceptable limit.

In braking system 700, however, the fluid injector 710 injects a fluidto help counteract any moisture buildup in the braking system. Theinjected fluid may include an anti-freeze type fluid that has a freezingpoint at or below −40° C., or within a range of −40° C. and −80° C. tohelp prevent freezing of any moisture within the pneumatic brakingsystem 700 of the railcar 10 where the anti-freeze type fluid that mayabsorb and/or displace moisture within the braking system 700, reducethe freezing temperature of moisture within the system, and maydissolve, displace, or dilute any compressor lubrication oil present inthe system 700. In addition to, or as another option, the injected fluidmay be chemically compatible with the elastomeric materials present inthe braking system 700 and include liquid droplets which may expand asthe liquid transitions to a gas which may help fill the gaps around theseals located within the braking system 700 restricting air flow passingaround the seals to reduce air leakage in the braking system 700. Theinjected fluid may have a viscosity greater than the air in the system700 and may be injected as a mist so it can be carried within thepressurized air and condense around regions near the seals to reduce anyair leakage. Chemical compatibility, lubrication properties, andanti-corrosion properties of the injected fluid may improve the life ofthe seals as the seals may last longer if they are moving on a smoothand wet lubricated surface. The fluid may also include a corrosioninhibitor and have a low-flammability.

The fluid may be injected continually, or intermittently when required,for either the anti-freeze type fluid (ice melting function) or thegap-filling fluid (anti-leak) function. In addition, the fluid may beinjected at a pressure greater than the brake-pipe pressure ofapproximately 150 psi, or in a range of 90 psi and 200 psi.Alternatively, the fluid may be injected at higher pressures of up to1500 psi. As another consideration, the flow rate of the injected fluidmay be a function of the airflow rate, the air leakage in the system700, and the number of connected railcars. The volume of injected fluidmay range from near zero to a ratio of the rate air leakage. Forexample, the volume, or flow rate, of injected fluid may beapproximately 0.60 cubic feet per minute (cfm), which equates toapproximately 1% of an air leakage rate of 60 cfm. In some instances,such as needing to melt an ice buildup in the braking system 20, thevolume of injected fluid may need to be increased to a range of 2 to 4cubic feet per minute. The system 700 may also include a pressure sensorto measure the brake-pipe pressure within the system and a controlsystem to adjust the fluid injection flow rate. For example, if thepressure sensor senses a small drop in brake-pipe pressure, the controlsystem may increase the flow rate of the injected fluid to help reducethe air leakage rate, or if the system is injecting fluidintermittently, the control system might send a signal for the fluidinjector to inject fluid more frequently. Additionally, the controlsystem may monitor the time or rate that the pressure increases, such asinitial hookup or initial charging of the system, where if the timeexceeds a predetermined time, the control system may determine thesystem has higher than expected air leakage rate and send a signal forthe fluid injector 710 to inject fluid into system 700. In someembodiments where the fluid injection pressure is over 200 psi, the flowrate may be reduced accordingly to prevent the overall brake-pipepressure from exceeding 150 psi.

The injection fluid may be a mixture including a component that reactswith water, such as isopropyl alcohol or methyl-hydrate, and may containa lubricating component or feature, and a corrosion inhibiting feature.Further, the injection fluid would need to remain a liquid duringextreme winter ambient temperature of less than approximately −40° C.The fluid may include an oil, such as a synthetic miscible air tool oilintended for use where compressed air has high moisture content. Thefluid may include water, such as a mixture of approximately 45%-49%alcohol, 45%-49% distilled water, 1%-2% triethanolamine phosphate(surfactant), and 1%-2% sodium mercaptobenzothiazole (stenching agent).In other embodiments, the fluid may include water, such as a mixture ofapproximately 40%-95% alcohol, 5%-60% distilled water, 0%-2%triethanolamine phosphate, and 0%-2% sodium mercaptobenzothiazole. Inother embodiments, the fluid may be 100alcohol. In embodiments, wherethe fluid may comprise a flammable component, the ratio of the flammablecomponent to the air in the system will be below the lower explosivelimit to prevent any combustion. Additionally, the injection fluid mayinclude a leak detection component, such as a tracer dye that may be abiodegradable or fluorescent leak detection dye.

While various embodiments have been described, it will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments andimplementations are possible that are within the scope of the claims.The various dimensions described above are merely exemplary and may bechanged as necessary. Accordingly, it will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementationsare possible that are within the scope of the claims. Therefore, theembodiments described are only provided to aid in understanding theclaims and do not limit the scope of the claims.

1-16. (canceled)
 17. A braking system for a railcar comprising: an aircompressor configured to supply compressed air to the braking system; amain reservoir connected to the air compressor; a regulating valveconnected to the main reservoir; a source brake pipe connected to theregulating valve, wherein the source brake pipe is connected to a brakepipe of a railcar; and a fluid injector arranged between the regulatingvalve and the source brake pipe, wherein the fluid injector injects afluid into the braking system, wherein the fluid has a freezing pointbelow −40° C.
 18. The braking system for a railcar of claim 17, whereinthe fluid is injected at a pressure within a range of 90 psi and 200psi.
 19. The braking system for a railcar of claim 17, wherein the fluidincludes a leak detection component.
 20. The braking system for arailcar of claim 17, wherein the fluid is injected intermittently. 21.The braking system for a railcar of claim 17, wherein the regulatingvalve is positioned downstream the main reservoir to provide apredetermined pressure to the braking system.
 22. The braking system fora railcar of claim 17, wherein the fluid injector injects the fluid intothe braking system to counteract moisture buildup in the braking system.23. The braking system for a railcar of claim 17, wherein the fluid ischemically compatible with elastomeric materials present in the brakingsystem and includes liquid droplets that expand as the liquidtransitions to a gas to help fill gaps around seals within the brakingsystem.
 24. The braking system for a railcar of claim 17, wherein thefluid is injected as a mist.
 25. The braking system for a railcar ofclaim 17, wherein the braking system further comprises a pressure sensorconfigured to measure brake pipe pressure within the braking system anda control system configured to adjust a fluid injection flow rate. 26.The braking system for a railcar of claim 25, wherein the control systemis configured to increase fluid injection flow rate to help reduce airleakage if the pressure sensor senses a drop in brake pipe pressure. 27.The braking system for a railcar of claim 19, wherein the leak detectioncomponent comprises a fluorescent leak detection dye.
 28. The brakingsystem for a railcar of claim 17, wherein the braking system isconnected to a trip-cock assembly comprising a trip-cock leverconfigured to extend beyond an exterior perimeter of a railcar andcontact a trip arm located adjacent a railway track at a predeterminedstop point within a rail yard, wherein the trip-cock lever is configuredto activate brakes of the railcar.
 29. The braking system for a railcarof claim 28, wherein the trip-cock lever is connected to a trip-cockvalve assembly, wherein when the trip-cock lever contacts the trip arm,the trip-cock lever rotates and opens a valve of the trip-cock valveassembly causing air in the braking system to be released.
 30. Thebraking system for a railcar of claim 29, wherein the brake pipe of therailcar comprises a receiving brake pipe, wherein the receiving brakepipe is connected to a branch pipe configured to provide air to anauxiliary reservoir that enables braking components to engage wheels ofthe railcar.
 31. The braking system for a railcar of claim 30, whereinthe receiving brake pipe is connected to an exit brake pipe located onan opposite end of the railcar from the receiving brake pipe, whereinthe exit brake pipe is connected to the trip-cock assembly.
 32. Thebraking system for a railcar of claim 28, wherein the air compressor isconfigured to maintain sufficient air pressure in the braking system toenable the trip-cock assembly to initiate an emergency stop.